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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

How about you come over to my place today? Thanks to the internet I can have everyone come visit and not even have to clean up the rest of the house! I thought I'd share a little tour of my craft room since that's where all my designing & projects start and it's been a while since I gave it some well deserved attention.

I first set up this room 2 years ago and did a little post about it back then. It was originally a laundry room/mini kitchenette, but for the first few years we lived here it was this disorganized mess:

A real show stopper, I know. So I re-purposed the heck out of what I had sitting around and, using a budget of $85, transformed it into a useable space. And this year I spent just a few more dollars and a bit of time re-organizing to make it even more efficient. Which proves you don't need a huge space or a giant budget to make a little slice of crafting heaven for yourself. So come on in and take a look:

My wood drop-side counter was from the kitchen in our first apartment. The top is where my cutting machines reside, but below I keep all my adhesives, ironing gear and patterns, stowed out of sight, but within reach:

And all my cutting & marking gear is in the drawer so I can grab it quickly, but little hands can't:

Here's my sewing nook, where both my sewing machines, notions and hardware reside. It was originally a really deep closet, but we'd taken the doors off to make it into an alcove. Being right next to the window makes the lighting ideal too.

The shelves keep my favorite print fabrics in plain view, as well as my sewing books and trims. My entire fabric stash is so ridiculous it doesn't all fit, so there are still box loads in my basement, but at least the prints get to see the daylight;)

Since I don't have a lot of horizontal space for all my ribbon spools, I just threaded them on shoelaces and hung them up so I can easily get to them:

The lighting & lavender wall color make it tricky to get the best photos, but my wall decor is simply canvases with scrapbooking paper (attached with poster putty so I can change them out if desired). I cut out the lettering by hand back before I had a Cricut or Silhouette and still like it, so it's stayed:

I'd been keeping my threads in big jars by color, but it was tough to find an exact shade without dumping them all out. I got these inexpensive wooden racks and now my rainbow of threads is easy to see:

This side of my craft room is mostly for my non-sewing projects - all my treat making, paper crafting and decorating stuff:

Here's how I redid my baking cupboard. I took a bunch of glass jars and empty berry bins to organize all my little things like candies, sprinkles & straws. I used a bunch of Ikea canvas boxes to organize my things like molds, tools & cake pans so things are contained, but easy to find.

I also made little cutouts with my Silhouette so each bin could be labeled nicely:

Before: This counter had a sink, which rarely got used and just took up half the space:

After: Getting a new counter wasn't really an option, so I had my husband cut a piece of MDF from the garage to fit into the sink opening. I upholstered it with Insul-Fleece™ and a layer of cute flannel fabric on top to make a big ironing surface. Since it rests in the lip all the way around the sink it's perfectly lined up with the counter.

Now I have double the workspace and a huge surface to iron on. Boy, does this make the big ironing jobs easier!

And I also have a special photo of my grandma, the original sewing maven, centered over it. I wasn't interested in learning to sew when she was alive (so dumb on my part), but she made custom clothing, luxury drapes and was a certified fabric re-weaver. She was just amazing at anything sewing related - she used to hem my pants with blind hem by hand! Despite my previous lack of interest I think those skills must be in my genes and am so glad to have inherited that love of sewing from her.

I use this little side closet as my "catch-all" space. That wooden bit at the top is a laundry shoot, but since laundry comes second to crafting it gets no use in this house. I keep all my large paper stacks, cards, tape rolls and other paper-related products on the shelves and current projects in the striped bin so I can easily tuck them out of sight if anyone is over. I saw the trick of cutting strips of scrapbook paper to camouflage the contents of the clear drawers somewhere online - I love how it hides clutter while looking pretty. And since my fabric collection is um...constantly growing...I've got more fabric stacked up in here too.

Now don't let this facade of organization fool you. It's not always this neat in here. Especially when I've got several projects going and my kids wandering in with their sttuff. And the rest of my house...well, let's just say it's less than tidy most of the time, so it's not like I'll be winning any awards for best kept home. But this little crafting oasis really makes me feel like I've got my act together:)

Have you got a crafting room, maybe a little corner somewhere or even just a desk with your gear on it? Go ahead and share it in the comments or via email. I'm pinning my favorites to a special Craft Room board on Pinterest. Any space you can craft in is something to be proud of & I'd love to see where you make your crafting magic happen:)

I feel the same way. Blogging has become such a big part of my life that just "playing" in my scrapbook room doesn't happen as often. Here's my room if you want to check it out. I'm sure I've linked it before. Love your blog!http://www.martysmusings.net/2011/08/scrapbook-room-remodel.html

Wow! What a fun room! I'm in the midst of designing a studio space and the thought of having all my fabrics and trim visible in an organized way just makes me giddy with excitement! Love what you've done with your space! Kristina J.

I wish I could say I have a crafting space, but in truth I have a travel sewing kit, a draw, bags of fabric scraps and wherever I can perch my bum!Absolutely love your room though - and the oven too! x

Wow, your craft room is amazing!! Great job on the organization, incredible!I built a potting bench and that has now become my craft area too. Keep thinking of where I can build a crafting area...think I'll have to steal some part of my husband's workshop. Which would be great 'cause it's with all the tools!Love what you did, saw you sharing at Adventures of a DIY MomDebbie :)

I am so envious that you created a great space for yourself. My crafting room is a pit of despair. Today, I realized that the biggest problem is that I don't have a single shelf or storage area so everythign is literally on the floor. I just don't want to spend a cent on storage, and I keep waiting for magical things to happen that will help me organize. I think shelving is going to have to be the first piece of magic that I invest in because it's impossible for me to enjoy sewing in a room that is such a mess!!!

Sparkling, I know exactly what you mean - I used plastic tubs and old cardboard boxes in my dining room for 2 years. Look around the house for stuff you can re-purpose. That's what I did to get started - I used old mason jars, baskets, a set of drawers I had in a closet, whatever I had in the house and then built up from there. Good luck getting things together. I'll try to continue to share some tips & ideas for organizing on the cheap!

Can you please tell me how you keep the ribbon from falling out? I have lots of washi tape and I think this may be the perfect way to hang them, but the hole in the middle I'd a bit big for shoelaces?Than k you!Isabelle

Love your craft/sewing room! And, the picture of your grandmother is beautiful. Her hands look so dainty. Thank you for sharing. Visiting from Craftionary. Would love it if you would share this at my Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2012/08/make-it-pretty-monday-week-10.html Hope to see you at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

Thank you so much Kathryn - she would have LOVED that compliment on her hands:) I'll be sure to link up on Monday. Im always glad to discover a new party. I hope you'll link up any goodies you have at my Craftastic Monday party too.

Cheryl, what an awesome remake of your space! LOVE the sewing nook...so sweet and colorful! And the sink turned ironing board is such a great idea! Thanks so much for joining me for Pearls and Lace Thursday!!blessings, Doni

Cheryl it looks awesome! We love the way everything is organized, especially the ribbon :) The picture of your grandma tops it off like the cherry on an ice cream sundae! What inspiration! We are going to feature your project on our Bowdabra Ribbons & Things Store Facebook page this morning. We hope that is ok! We appreciate you linking it up to our Crafty Showcase! It totally ROCKS! We will probably feature it on that FB page, too, this week. https://www.facebook.com/BowdabraRibbonsCraftsThingsStore

Your craft space is adorable, and so comfortable looking - it looks like a space you could easily and happily spend hours upon hours in! I love the ribbon and thread...I love it all! Thanks for sharing. Rhiannon

Oh my goodness...this is amazing!!! I love how you gave featured some things (the fabric, ribbon, thread etc.) but have everything else tucked away. I am redoing a section of my dining room for my craft area so I will remember that as I organize my stuff. Love the photo of your grandma! So sweet!

Hi Cheryl!I just found your blog clicking through Pinterest (I actually landed at thedecoratedcookie ! ) Anyways, I am following you now! I love all he crafty things you share here and I had to come and see your craft room cause I re-did mine not too long ago but I am always looking for new organization ideas within my fellow bloggers! This is my crafts studio Can you tell me exactly how do you thread your ribbon spools with shoelaces? Are they easily accesible??? I have sooo many but they are all stashed in drawers!

Yay Flavia - that's always great to hear! I'm following you back on Pinterest & Twitter:) My ribbon is so easy to use this way and always right in plain sight. I knotted on end at the botton and threaded a big bead to act as a stopper, then threaded the spools on top. Then I knotted a loop at the top to hang them from. I've removed & added spools several times, so for a 50 cent solution it works pretty well!